The stubborn look in its eyes was very noticeable in the firelight.
“Child, listen to me.” Lu Zhixia suddenly didn’t know what to say.
Erni felt a mixture of hatred and anticipation as she looked at the woman before her.
Is this her mother?
So she has a mother too!
Two lines of tears fell down, and then she stubbornly wiped them away with her little hands.
"I don't have a mother!"
Lu Zhixia was devastated. "I didn't abandon you!"
Erni looked up, "Then why are you only coming to find me now—"
Lu Zhixia was so anxious that she cried her eyes out; she was in so much pain.
Gu Lingxiao patted Lu Zhixia on the shoulder, "Let me tell you to calm down and talk to the child."
Lu Zhixia nodded; she was very excited.
Erni stared at the man, "What do you want to tell me? Are you my father?"
Gu Lingxiao squatted down to look at the child, "Shall we go over there and talk?"
Erni looked at him and then nodded.
So they went to the corner and sat down on the benches.
Erni glanced at the man out of the corner of her eye. If this man was her father, then yes, he was quite handsome.
This was Gu Lingxiao's first time doing this. He looked up at Lu Zhixia on the other side, who was already sitting on a bench watching them. Then he turned to the child and said...
"I am not your father."
Erni looked completely bewildered.
Gu Lingxiao said, "Child, your mother did not abandon you."
Erni bit her lip, "Then why don't you want me anymore?"
Gu Lingxiao noticed that her stubbornness was exactly like Lu Zhixia's.
"I don't know if you can accept the truth, but I hope you can know the truth as soon as possible, so are you mentally prepared?"
Erni looked at him and then nodded.
Gu Lingxiao said, "It's like this. When you were born, you were switched at birth. Your mother didn't know you existed until recently, so she came looking for you."
Erni's eyes widened instantly. "What switch? What does that mean? Who is that person? Why would they do this?"
She spoke urgently, wanting to know the truth.
Gu Lingxiao, "It's your father!"
Erni was stunned. It turned out that it wasn't her mother who didn't want her, but her father.
"Why?"
Gu Lingxiao said, "Since he has chosen not to want it, why bother asking why? The best outcome is for you and your mother to reunite now."
Erni looked over there, and in the firelight, the tears in the woman's eyes were clearly visible.
Thinking back on their past interactions, she believed her mother was a good person!
Old Fan walked out with the help of his child, and smiled with relief when he saw the people in the yard.
God has opened his eyes.
Just as he was about to close his eyes, someone came looking for him.
"Grandpa!" Erni called out, then stood up, ran over, opened her arms, and hugged her grandfather's legs tightly.
"Good boy!" said Old Man Fan.
Lu Zhixia walked over and looked at the old man gratefully.
"Grandpa, I am—"
Old Man Fan raised his hand to interrupt her, "I've guessed what you're about to say. Back then, it was indeed your husband who handed the child over to my wife, saying the child was sick and he wouldn't want him."
He looked down at the child, then said, "If my wife doesn't take the child away, then—"
Erni looked up at her grandfather. It was the first time she had learned the truth. Her grandfather would never lie to her. So it was her father who didn't want her, and it had nothing to do with her mother.
So she shifted her head slightly to the side, then looked up at the person and asked timidly,
"Are you my mother?"
“I really am your mother, we look so alike!” Lu Zhixia squatted down and looked into the child’s eyes. “It’s not that Mommy doesn’t want you, it’s that I didn’t know you existed before. Mommy is sorry for you, my child, you’ve suffered all these years!”
"Mom!" Erni shouted loudly, then let go of her grandfather and rushed over.
Why did it take you so long to come find me?
Lu Zhixia opened her arms and hugged the child, "I'm sorry, it's all my fault!"
“Mom, I have a mother too!” Erni said happily.
The children around them were all at a loss, and at the same time, they wondered if Erni had a mother, would their parents come looking for her?
Old Fan looked at the scene before him and smiled with satisfaction. For him, this was the best ending.
After a long while, they composed themselves and sat down around the fire.
Old Fan said, "Back then, when our child was sick, we had no choice but to take him back to our hometown and come here to get treatment. So many years have passed in the blink of an eye." He looked at Lu Zhixia with sincere eyes and said, "I am really happy that you found me. It is a blessing from God!" The discomfort in his chest made him cough violently.
Looking at his gaunt face and cloudy eyes, Lu Zhixia knew that the old man was seriously ill, the kind of old-age disease that causes gradual physical decline.
"Thank you! I don't know what to say right now. If it weren't for you raising Nizi, my daughter might not be here anymore."
Tiger brought Grandpa a bowl of water. Grandpa Fan drank some, and his throat discomfort eased slightly. He then continued talking to them.
"This is also a blessing between me and my children. You're welcome. Having them with us over the years has been the happiest time of our lives!"
Gu Lingxiao, "Old man, did you adopt all these children? What's their situation—"
Old Man Fan nodded heavily, "They're all pretty much the same, but only Nizi personally handed the child over to us."
Gu Lingxiao admired the old man's courage; raising so many children was no easy feat for them.
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